How to View System Apps on Android: 3 Quick & Easy Ways

Download Article

A short guide to finding hidden system apps on Android

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: October 9, 2025 Fact Checked

Download Article

Viewing System Apps on Samsung

|

Viewing System Apps on Google Pixel

|

Using a Third-Party App

|

FAQ

|

Video

|

Q&A

Do you want to view the system apps on your Android phone? These apps are usually hidden in your application manager. This wikiHow will teach you how to do it.

Viewing System Apps on Android

On Samsung, open your Settings app and tap on Apps > ⋮ > Show system. On Google Pixel, open your Settings app and tap on Apps > See all ## apps > ⋮ > Show system. Alternatively, you can use a third-party app like App Manager to easily view your system apps, including viewing only your system apps.

Section 1 of 4:

Viewing System Apps on Samsung

Download Article

1
Open the Settings app. You can do this either by tapping on the app on your home screen, swiping down and opening it from the Quick Settings menu, or searching for the app with the search bar on your phone. Your settings app will have an icon of a gear.
2
Tap Apps. If you're on an older version of Android, you might see Applications instead of Apps.

Advertisement
3
Tap on the ⋮ button in the upper-right corner of the screen. If you're on an older version of Android, you will see a button that says MORE instead.
4
Select Show system or Show system apps. Depending on your phone or Android version, you may need to tap the filter button next to "Your apps" to see the option to toggle on Show system apps.^{[1]
X
Research source}

Section 2 of 4:

Viewing System Apps on Google Pixel

Download Article

1
Open the Settings app. You can do this either by tapping on the app on your home screen, swiping down and opening it from the Quick Settings menu, or searching for the app with the search bar on your phone. Your settings app will have an icon of a gear.
2
Tap Apps. It's between Connected devices and Notifications, and it has an icon of nine dots in a 3x3 square.
3
Scroll down and tap See all [number] apps. This will show you all of the apps installed on your Google Pixel, but it won't show you system apps just yet.
4
Tap on the ⋮ button in the upper-right corner of the screen. This will open a menu.
5
Tap Show system. This will add the system apps on your Pixel to the full list of apps on your device.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Section 3 of 4:

Using a Third-Party App

Download Article

1
Download App Manager. App Manager is a third-party app manager that allows you to easily see and control the apps on your device. It also allows you to see all the system apps on your phone with ease.
- Download App Manager from the Google Play Store.
2
Open the app. Once the app is installed, tap Open in the Google Play Store to open the app, or open it from your home screen.
3
Tap the filter icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. The icon looks like a funnel, and it's to the right of the three-line icon. This will open the "Apps Filtering" menu.
4
Check the box next to "Include system apps." Once you've done this, tap OK. Your apps list will refresh to show all of the system apps on your device.
- If you only want to see system apps, tap the filter icon and uncheck the box next to "Include user apps." The list will refresh to only show you your system apps.

Section 4 of 4:

FAQ

Download Article

1
What happens if I force stop a system app? Force-stopping a system app can cause your Android phone to stop working properly. Certain system apps, such as the Chrome web browser, can be force-stopped without much issue. However, if you force stop a system app like the keyboard or clock, your phone likely won't work properly until you restart the device.
- If one of your apps isn't working correctly, try clearing the app's cache first. From the Apps menu, select the app you want to clear the cache of. Then, tap Storage > Clear cache.^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
2
What are system apps? System apps are apps on your device that allow your phone to work properly. These apps include your phone's camera, keyboard, and clock. The Chrome internet browser is also a system app, though you can ultimately decide to use a different browser app if that's what you prefer.
3
Can system apps be removed? No, you cannot easily remove system apps from your device. To remove system apps, you have to root your Android phone, which isn't recommended for security reasons. These apps are necessary for your device to function, so unless you know what you're doing, it's not a good idea to remove these apps. Certain system apps can be disabled, however, if they are causing a nuisance.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How do I uninstall WhatsApp?

Nethum Lamahewage

Community Answer

Go to where the WhatsApp application is. It will be in the app drawer. A shortcut may also be on the home screen. Tap and hold on the icon, and then options will appear at the top of the display. Drag the icon to the option that says "Uninstall." A box will appear on your screen to confirm this. Tap on "OK."

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 3 Helpful 7